To develop individuality and flexibility, support and training from childhood are necessary. Children are eager to try things, imitate what others do, and try anything they want to do. When they experience success and acquire new skills, they feel excited and accomplished. Learning and exercise that “understands,” “can do,” and “is fun” contain elements that develop the abilities necessary for social life. Children who are absorbed in playing experience the attitude of trying their best and doing things with all their might. Even if they fail, they may have the desire to become better. Play provides many opportunities for children to experience the sense of accomplishment that comes from overcoming difficulties, and to gain a sense of competence and self-esteem. These experiences will develop children’s individuality and flexibility.
Knowledge is not something that is given to them by others, but something that they create themselves. The way in which children simply do the learning given to them by teachers was a top-down “transmission type.” When children begin to find meaning in their studies, they become “autonomous” and propose their own meanings. The autonomous system is important for children to grow up. It is necessary to raise children to be autonomous, not heteronomous. The amygdala, a part of the brain, separates all emotions, such as likes and dislikes, comfortable and uncomfortable. The reward system transmitter released from the amygdala is dopamine. Repeated success and sense of accomplishment become pleasurable. As you enjoy it, learning becomes more interesting, and your brain becomes lively. Dopamine improves memory, creates a comfortable feeling, a sense of accomplishment, and motivation.
In the real world, there are more situations that you have to think about various things using the knowledge you have in your head. Combining knowledge well is more likely to be useful in the real world. People who have the habit of constantly updating, increasing, and using the knowledge in their heads are needed. People who think and act flexibly are needed. This means that you should incorporate the knowledge you read into your actions and increase the number of cases that you act by thinking, “I need to combine this with this.” This also means that knowledge will not become real power unless you put in the work to incorporate it into actual actions. And it is up to you, with the individuality, to turn knowledge into real power.
